Lasers and Turkeys For The New York Times…Oh My!
This assignment was a fun technical one that allowed the nerd in Tim to geek out a bit. It was for a New York Times story about using lasers to keep birds away from turkey barns in the hopes of keeping any spread of the avian flu from reaching the turkeys at the farm. We rarely use tripods but this assignment screamed for the use of a tripod. It wasn’t until it was completely dark that the green laser beam became visible to the naked eye and camera. From there it was a matter of setting a long exposure and trying to predict the pattern of the laser. It turns out it’s not as easy as one would hope but I guess that’s you keep the birds on their toes. Eventually a pattern was established and it was time to play with the long exposures and occasionally a car would drive by the farm and paint the side of the turkey barns with their headlights providing just a subtle amount of light to bring even more visual interest to the frame. Overall it was a fun night using a tripod and feeling like a hobby photographer who dabbles with nighttime exposures. It was a fun one to play with!
Read the New York Times story - Lasers, Inflatable Dancers and the Fight to Fend Off Avian Flu
